Biosafety Cabinet HEPA Filter Replacements: Reducing Costs

When selecting which biosafety cabinet is right for you, price is almost always a top consideration.

While sticker price seems like the most pertinent cost data, you need to consider the total cost of ownership to get a true picture of the financial impact of your purchase. Energy cost is the next most obvious cost consideration, but did you know that up to 22% of total cost of ownership consists of HEPA filter replacements alone? That cost could wash away any up-front savings you might have realized from a “budget” cabinet purchase.

It’s time to think differently about what it means for a biosafety cabinet to fit your budget. The average useful life of a biosafety cabinet is 15 years. Your cabinet purchase needs to fit not only this year’s budget, but your budget for the next 15 years.

How do you reduce the impact of HEPA filter replacements on total cost of ownership?

Motor/blower reserve is important in a biosafety cabinet because it allows the cabinet to maintain consistent airflow even as filters load, which extends the useful life of your HEPA filter. The higher a biosafety cabinet’s motor/blower reserve, the greater the pressure change that can be handled, and the fewer HEPA filter changes your facility needs to pay for.

Currently, NSF requires that a cabinet’s motor/blower be able to handle a minimum pressure drop of 50% without decreasing airflow by more than 10%. A lab with a biosafety cabinet that meets only this minimum standard can expect to pay for five HEPA filter replacements over 15 years. On the other hand, a cabinet with a more advanced technology (such as Baker’s StediFLOW™, which can handle a 300% pressure drop) results in only having to change the filter once over the life of the cabinet.

How much are HEPA filter replacements costing you?

Our informative infographic shows you how much you could save on filter changes alone for just one cabinet. Multiply those savings by the number of biosafety cabinets in your facility, and you could be looking at substantial savings over the next 15 years.